We love foster care. We love the children God has brought into our home, we're grateful for the privilege of loving them, and we know this is something God has called our family to do.

And sometimes, we're just tired.

Actually, weary might be the better word.

Because foster care can wear on more than your body. There's the interrupted sleep, appointments, therapies, visits, diapers, school schedules, medical needs, and the constant juggling of everyday life. But there's also the mental load of keeping everything straight, the exhaustion that comes from constantly advocating, the frustration of navigating a complicated system, and the emotional weight of loving a child deeply while knowing you may eventually have to say goodbye.

In this episode, we're having an honest conversation about that weariness and the guilt that can sometimes come with admitting it.

We chose this life. We said yes. We know these children didn't choose what happened to them. So sometimes it feels like we don't have the right to say that it's hard.

But gratitude and weariness can coexist.

We talk about what foster parent weariness has looked like in our home, from the mundane tasks that pile up to the mental load of managing seven kids, therapies, visits, court hearings, school schedules, and medical appointments. Whitney shares about the exhausting work of advocating for our children and a recent win after weeks of pushing for one of our foster children's needs to be accurately recognized.

We also talk about the emotional side of foster care that can be harder to see. Foster parents are asked to fully love and attach to children while knowing reunification may mean eventually saying goodbye. We're walking alongside children through pain we can't fix while also helping the other children in our home process the brokenness they're witnessing.

That's heavy.

But weariness doesn't mean we're doing something wrong. And it doesn't mean we're no longer called.

Galatians 6:9 reminds us, "Let us not become weary in doing good."

So what do we do when we are weary?

We acknowledge it. We talk about it. We ask for help. We allow our community to step in. We bring the burden to God instead of convincing ourselves that being strong means carrying everything alone.

And sometimes, like the bison facing a storm, we simply turn toward the hard season instead of running from it.

If you're a foster parent who is tired right now, we hope this episode reminds you that you're not alone. The small acts of faithfulness still matter. God sees the appointments, the late nights, the phone calls, the advocacy, the waiting, and all the things nobody else sees.

Don't give up.

You're not meant to carry this alone.

Support the Podcast

If Dream Small has encouraged you and you'd like to help us continue sharing stories about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership, and living faithfully right where you are, you can support the podcast here:

https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support

Speaking Requests

If your church, conference, foster care organization, or event would like Jason and Whitney to speak about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership, or living a meaningful life through small acts of faithfulness, we'd love to hear from you.

Email us at dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com.

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Music Credit

"Paradise Found" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons.